Things may be about to smell a lot better in Indianola. At least in the area near the hospital.
During the Board of Supervisors meeting Indianola Mayor Ken Featherstone requested that the board help with repairs that should alleviate ongoing sewage issues near South Sunflower County Hospital.
“The hospital is dealing with persistent sewer problems and having backups in some of the rooms,” said Featherstone.
The city brought in a third-party contractor to look at the problem.
The city has spent thousands of dollars on manpower, Featherstone said, trying to replace equipment underground.
Contractor Upchurch Plumbing has been working with the city and the hospital on trying to fix these issues.
“The hospital has been getting stopped up and backed up every other week, sometimes every week; if we don’t try to go out and blow out the sewer lines in front of the hospital all the way to Catchings Avenue, then Faisonia, they have problems, and they usually begin on Friday evenings,” said Indianola Public Works Director Elvis Pernell.
This is something the city needed to do two years ago, Pernell told the board.
The hospital has been having this issue off and on for two years.
“Years ago, South Sunflower Hospital did a huge renovation. They took the main sewage from Baker Street curved it out, and brought it out to Catchings Avenue,” Pernell said.
Upchurch Plumbing gave the city a quote for $30,500, Upchurch has been to the hospital multiple times according to Pernell. Upchurch Plumbing may be removing approximately 100 feet of sewer pipe and replacing it from the beginning of the hospital to Catchings Avenue as well as Faisonia.
That may solve some of the problems, but once the sewage backs up on top of the ground then it runs into the storm drain, which runs beside Martin’s Pharmacy.
The city has contacted the hospital making sure that they clean their pumps periodically.
The mayor requested that the county pay half the cost of the sewage drainage.
District 4 Supervisor Anthony Clark suggested the county should pay the entire $30,500.
District 1 Supervisor Glenn Donald agreed, but the motion to pay half had been made and seconded.
“The issue didn’t occur until the hospital did renovations. This is our hospital, and our hospital caused the problem, when they closed Baker Street and reran those lines that caused the problems,” Donald said.
“We deem this as an emergency, and we know that the county will look at this just as seriously as the city,” said Featherstone.
The board approved paying half the cost of $30,500 for the sewage issues at SSCH.
